Sun Ra The Futuristic Sounds of Sun Ra 180g LP

TAS Rated 4/5 Music, 4.5/5 Sonics in the February 2023 Issue of The Absolute Sound!

This special 60th Anniversary reissue of groundbreaking jazz artist Sun Ra's iconic 1962 album, The Futuristic Sounds of Sun Ra, features all-analog remastering by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio, pressed on 180-gram vinyl at RTI. The package includes Tom Wilson's original liner notes, plus insightful new essays by jazz historian Ben Young, as well as by Irwin Chusid, who is also a journalist, radio personality, and author.

Engineered by Paul Cady, the sessions features nine players, including Ra on piano, Bernard McKinney (later known as Kiane Zawadi, on trombone and euphonium), Marshall Allen (alto sax, flute, among other reed instruments), John Gilmore (tenor sax, bass clarinet), Pat Patrick (baritone saxophone), Ronnie Boykins (bass), Willie Jones (drums), Leah Ananda (congas), and Ricky Murray (vocals).

Recorded in just one day, on October 10, 1961, The Futuristic Sounds of Sun Ra features 11 tracks. Among the selections is the Latin-influenced opener, "Bassism," the bluesy "Of Sounds and Something Else," and the aptly named "What's That?," which breaks into a four-saxophone improvisation, stands out as an example of Ra's early experimental work.

Sun Ra's only release for the Savoy label is a gem....Excellent.

The Futuristic Sounds reveals a slim eight-piece Arkestra bridging swing and bop and Sonny's emerging vision of freer forms, offbeat structures, and more open, if not yet vastly cosmic, spaces. His acoustic piano playing is delightful, his rhythm section is firmly grounded, and his horn section shows signs of moving from Ellingtonian/Don Redman-esque tightness toward more excited expressiveness. Packaged with producer Tom Wilson's original liner notes, new essays by Ben Young and Irwin Chusid, and Harvey's trippy cover art, the binaurally recorded music is not only accessible as slightly edgy mainstream jazz, but in this 180-gram vinyl form, with analog remastering by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio, is presented with sumptous clarity.